Light at the End of the Tunnel
by Mariko Azrael
Summary: PRTF. He’d be asking a lot more of Katie than he was certain he could… but he had to at least ask. Katie X Trip, post series, Light verse, takes place before any of the other Light verse stories, so you can read this and not be confused.


Disclaimer: Not mine

Notes: Post series, spoilers apply. This is also a Light-verse fic (a Katie/Trip series I've been working on), but since this takes place before anything else in said verse, I think you can read this and not be confused.

--

"Can I come over to your place?" 

Trip looked up from his work desk. He hadn't been expecting a call-- or the person making said call.

"Um, sure," he said when he finally found his voice again. "You know you're always welcome here, Katie."

"Okay, I'll be there in a bit." Even without the video linkup, he could tell she was relieved. There was a pause long enough to make him wonder if she had signed off. "Thanks, Trip."

After making sure she really had signed off, Trip gave up on his project for the day. There was no point in pretending to work when his mind was on whatever was wrong with Katie. And there was. Even with no way to study her face or sense her thoughts, he could tell.

He had heard Katie voice's like that-- raw, full of pain-- only once before in his life.

Before, he hadn't been able to do anything for her. He refused to let that happen again.

Part of him wanted to go out, try to find her and try to get her to least tell him what was wrong… but she'd just laugh it off. There had to be some irony somewhere in the fact that the person on their team who had been there for all of them when they were hurting tried to keep her own problems hidden (or at least until they'd grown too big to hide anymore…). If Katie was actually willing to come to him instead of keeping it down, he didn't want to push his luck.

Trip went to his living room, taking a seat on the couch. He had promised himself he would help her, but for now, all he could do was wait.

--

After what felt like forever, he heard his door chime. "It's open!" he said even as he raced to the door, hoping it was whom he was waiting for.

Trip's door hissed open to reveal Katie, arms full, grinning from ear to ear. "I thought I'd get some dinner on the way here."

"Pizza!" Despite everything, Trip took in the aroma of pepperoni as Katie set it on the table. He grabbed a couple of plates. "Obviously I'm grateful, but you really didn't have to."

Katie shrugged good-naturedly as she helped herself to a slice (and Trip helped himself to three). "I wanted to do something to thank you for letting me barge in. And I'm guessing that you didn't have anything planned for dinner tonight," she added pointedly, although the warmth in her tone was still there.

Trip smiled guiltily. "I was in the middle of a big project when you called."

"Oh." The warmth was gone. "I didn't mean to bother you while you were working--"

"But I can put it off for an evening!" He didn't want to sound that desperate, but at this point he didn't have much of a choice. "I just… I want…" Trip stopped himself there, before he… said more than needed to be said.

He had known her long enough to know that it was best to go with the direct approach. "Please tell me what's wrong, Katie."

Trip waited for another smile, to be told that she was fine, really… but then Katie sighed heavily as she leaned forward in her chair.

"I guess there's no point in pretending." She gave her best attempt at a smile. "I mean, you'll figure it out eventually, right?" Her attempt failed as she picked at a pepperoni. "It's just it's so stupid…"

Trip wanted to reach out to her, but resisted. "If you're this upset, then it isn't."

Katie kept her eyes fixed on her plate. "I was talking to my dad after work. We were just laughing about old times… until I brought up our trip to Japan a couple of years back."

"And thanks to our meddling in the time line that never happened."

"I know that it could've been worse and I should just be glad that they're still even here-- and I am." She glanced at him, and he felt his gut twist. "But… that week was one of the best in my life. That's where I decided I wanted to join Time Force, and… and you know that picture of my family I kept around in 2001?" All Trip could do at that point was nod.

"That was from the trip," she said hollowly.

Trip racked his brain, trying to think of something to say… but Katie was back in the living room, slipping back on her jacket.

"So, um, thanks for letting me get that off my chest." She didn't look at him as she tried to get the zipper to work. "But I should probably let you get back to your project, right?"

"Katie, there has to be something I can do--"

She looked at him again, not even trying to smile. "I'm fine. I'm just really sick of things changing, that's all." She made her way for the door. If Trip didn't do something now, he'd lose her, and not just for tonight.

"I love you. That'll never change."

Trip felt his gut twist again for an entirely different reason went Katie stared at him with wide eyes. That… that hadn't been what he wanted to say. At all. But it had just come out, and now… now…

He rested his head in his hand. "I think I need to go lie down now."

--

Trip hadn't heard his door swish, so he guessed that Katie hadn't left after all. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

He stared at his ceiling. He **did** love her, more than anything… but it wasn't enough. Not when you were Xybrian. Even if Katie felt anything for him (and right now, he doubted that greatly), it would be too much to ask of her. So he had decided to keep his feelings to himself, for both their sakes.

Until now.

"I'm guessing you didn't mean to say that." Katie's voice was unusually subdued as she took a seat next to him on the bed.

Trip pulled himself up to a sitting position. What he **really** wanted to do was hide under the bed until she was gone, but Katie deserved an explanation. "I meant it… but I didn't mean for you to hear it."

"Why not?"

He blinked as she inched a little closer. "Didn't you ever wonder why I came here, to you?"

"What are you…"

"What I'm saying," Katie finally smiled for real as she brushed the bangs way from his face, "is that you're my light at the end of the tunnel."

He was too happy to say anything in reply… even when she kissed him. Then he was too busy dealing with the fact that she was kissing him again, and again, and then pushing him onto the bed, and the sudden newness of the sensations that made him gasp out loud.

"Sorry!" Suddenly, Katie was on the other side of the bed. "I didn't mean to go that far." She smiled nervously. "Guess I got carried away. Again."

Trip frowned as he propped himself up again. If they were going to go this far then she needed to know.

"It wasn't that-- it was the exact opposite, actually." He took a breath. "It's just when Xybrians are, um, together, the pleasure comes from the minds mingling. Physical intimacy only comes into play if they want a child." He took another breath. "So this is uncharted territory for me."

"Oh, okay." Katie gave him a guilty look as she ran a hand though her hair. "Then maybe we should--"

He cut her off with a kiss. "But I'm starting to think that Humans have the right idea when it comes to this…"

--

Oh, yeah. Humans **definitely** had the right idea when it came to this.

Trip looked up at the stars. He wasn't sure what was better: the night he'd spent with Katie… or knowing that she was waiting for him in his bed. He never would have believed it was possible (a part of him still didn't), but they were together now, and--

And then what?

Trip found his thoughts drifting to Jen, Wes, and how they waited until it was too late. He'd learned from their example that he didn't want that to happen to him and Katie, but he wasn't sure how to…

_I could always follow Xybrian tradition for the first time in my life._

He looked in his pocket for what he had grabbed without thinking as he'd gotten dressed, and sure enough, the two bracelets were still there. He was going to need them. After all, exchanging them was the first thing tradition dictated if he wanted to ask her to…

Trip looked to the sky again. The stars were fading, and the first light of day was starting to appear. He'd be asking a lot more of Katie than he was certain he could… but he had to at least ask.

He turned his attention to the rising sun. When it was morning, he'd ask her.


End file.
